3.6
Quality2.6
Difficulty62%
Would Retake91
Reviews62%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
39
4
16
3
15
2
15
1
6
What Students Say
“Grading is fair, but a bit subjective”
PHIL406 - 4.0 rating“I was so disappointed with this class”
PHIL111 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.62 avg changeRatings by Course
CRITICAL
5.0
(1)PHILOS101
5.0
(1)SEMINAR
5.0
(1)PHILOFRELIGIO
5.0
(1)PHILDTOK
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
INTRO28
5.0
PLATO
4.0
PHILOFRELIGIO
4.0
INTROTOPHILO
4.0
PHIL0
4.0
Reviews (91)
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Kurt Smith was one of the best professors I have ever had... he is energetic, wild, fun, and extremely intelligent. The class discussions were AWESOME and he truly makes you think... this was the best philosophy class I've ever had.
Awesome teacher...makes class alot of fun, and very interesting at the same time
AWESOME teacher, if you get the chance please take him. Fun and energetic!! no complaints here EASY A!!!
this is my favorite class i have taken at bloom so far! dr. smith is crazy and fun and makes you think so much. class discussions are a blast and i look forward going to his class.
Most meaningful class of my college career. Highly recommended to anyone and everyone. Smith is a brilliant professor - one of the best at Bloomsburg University.
Kurt Smith is an amazing professor! I've learned more life lessons from him than all other profs combined! Everyone should take this class with him. Never a dull moment!
Funny... likes the F word
He use to be funny with all the cursing and stuff but now it's just old. I found myself falling asleep on more than one occasion.
always exciting........kinda like drugs! he gets you intrested and you want to do any work that comes along with the class!!!
I really wish that he taught us about philosophy instead of talking about his life...I haven't learned anything...thanks for wasting my money :(
Terrible. Takes no time to talk to students and help them. nothing but BS in class. We went at a nice pace from the start and then he just nailed us. Has no desire to teach whatsoever. You learn a bit, but you notes end up being a mixture of philsophy and his life story. Go somehwere else!
Hes a smart teacher, but spends alot of time entertaining. You can learn alot from him, but unfortunatelyl because hes such a nice guy, he attracts alot of idiots. If you can put up with a class of about 20 people who don't kow a thing and a brilliant teacher trying to keep their attention, you're o
Dosnt get better then this. EXCITING, makes you actually THINK and is easy. The class will really F*#k with your head.
Read the assignments
decent prof. fun to talk to/with. but if your taking his courses trying to gain...something..anything intellectually..i'd say look somewhere else
Would have made a better stand up comedian over a teacher. He is very funny, and tells many jokes which makes you think, but this does not prepare you for a test. Talks more about his life than what actually needs to be covered. If you are offended by the F word DO NOT take.
The man's awesome! He's entertaining, hilarious, passionate... curses a lot... tells fantastic stories that are related to the class, and is absolutely one of the smartest human beings you will ever meet!
He sometimes takes an entire class just to talk about his dull life and tell stupid stories. Then when it comes to the test no one knows what is going on and he wonders why.
He's a nice guy--but hall he talks about is himself. I can't tell you what I learned by the way of philosophy hence my horrible grade in the class. I am pretty sure that I am one of hundreds of BU students that did not do well in his class.
Brilliant man, great teacher! If you have no interest or don't plan on putting forth any effort, do not take.
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Dr. Smith will talk to you for hours if you stop by his office, about anything. He is a great, incitefull, friendly prof. You will never fall asleep.
Had this class for one period (it was a night class) and dropped it. While the humor was nice at first, it's a little overbearing and I didn't see myself being able to put up with it. I'm not offended by the F word, but it was too much for me.
I suggest anyone take this class..It's definitely entertaining and if you leave with nothing else, you'll get in some good laughs. He's an open book and doesn't hold back. He's always very thorough when goin over information and the reading are kind of interesting as well...
A limerick: Dr. Smith won't stop once he's started. So prepare to get Kant and Descartes-ed! He'll lend you a hand when you don't understand; if you fail, well then you're just retarded.
Dr. Smith will most definately keep you awake and attentive as well as entertained. He makes learning about Descartes and all those other guys a pretty simple and interesting task. He keeps things easy to understand using many present day analogies.
total fake
Dr. Smith is funny and keeps lectures pretty interesting. Exams aren't hard, one was even take-home. There were also many times where he had to cancel the class because of conferences, so that was cool too.
I found this class very interesting, however I think I would enjoy it more if I didn't have to worry about my grade. He is funny and entertaining, but extremely bad at getting things back on time. He is not organized. All in all, I would recomend this class to anyone who is curious about philosophy
he tells stories the whole time that have nothing to do with class. and he tells them over and over again. very boring, dont expect to learn much. curses every other word, and its not offensive, just really annoying. don't take him if you are REALLY into philosophy, and want to learn about anything. he just talks and talks and talks...
Nice cool guy, but my problem was that he did a lot of other stuff (talking, goofing off), then crammed in the actual info in the last 15 minutes of class. Told us to read, but you really didn't need to. Loved his stories and personality, didn't get his grading. Was never sure if my answer was really the right one. Take for entertainment, not an A.
he rocked
Smith is cool as sh*t. seriously he is officially my favorite prof. it is hard to motivate myself to go to his class because its at night, but once im there i dont want to leave. i suggest everyone take his class if you get the chance, he is amazing.
I wasted three hours every Monday night listening to him tell outrageous stories from his past about how GREAT he is…and blah blah blah!! He constantly cursed, which I don’t have a problem with, but it substituted for teaching the course material—it’s just for cheap laughs. When we did discuss the material…it was vague & glossed over. Avoid It!!!
he is a good teacher, nice and funny. material is hard but you need to go to class to understand. his stories help with understanding the material.
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curses a lot. knows way too much for his own good. its pretty amusing and interesting for that matter
This guy is funny. I did not want to miss class in fear of missing him say something funny. Good teacher has a story to explain everything. Class is optional. Grades somewhat tough but its easy to get a B or better
Josh , How deep does the rabbit hole go?I'm currently in the class twice a week n he is an amazingly enlighten guy. He grades kinda tough/fair Il end up with a B I'm fine with that. He is your Morpheus, just GO TO HIS CLASS He is worthy of your time, you are not worthy of his.Kids who get an F are just those who wont reject the system,or F'n idiots
First of all, best teacher ever. 2nd of all if you think his stories are pointless your f'n stupid! They go with the freakin lecture! And ya he curses, SO WHAT its great. It makes the class fun. Great teacher, brilliant, and sexy well in an Einstein kinda way..Def take this class, its worth it!
chili peppa'
for the most part, i liked the class. he definatly teaches like he is more of your friend than your teacher... which i respected. It is true, he did have his little tangents.. but it was just to get you to remeber the material. he's a pretty cool professor though.. i would recommend him.
Interesting. Lacks focus on class topics. Very blunt and opinionated. Very intelligent. Storyteller. No real work in the class, 3 small papers total. Terrible at answering questions, almost seems to not even hear the question (though feels he is on topic). Good guy, you will learn more about things unrelated to class than the class itself
Smart guy , but he only believes what he wants to believe nothing really further more then that owell he atleast knows his one side of the coin
Smart guy , but he only believes what he wants to believe nothing really further more then that owell he atleast knows his one side of the coin oh but he is good at the guitar which makes him ok in the end
Really wishy-washy prof. Knows his stuff. Wants everyone to pass but not easy to understand. Explanations aren't helpful unless you're really into it. Doing everything he says isn't enough to do well even though he mentions you will all get A's. Very tough for an intro class. "We *can* doubt P therefore we can tell a coherent in which P is false."
I had Dr. Smith for Phil of Social Sciences. First off, the guy is immensely brilliant and is as funny as he is smart. It is a bit difficult to follow along in class so its best to just blaze up before and go along for the ride. Four total papers, very fair grader. Actually takes the time to read over your papers.Take him for every class you can
BEST CLASS I HAVE TAKEN IN MY YOUNG LIFE! People who complain about his stories are too slow to understand that they go along with the lesson or they are a life lesson. Great guy, highly take him over anybody else
This professor was excellent. I would recommend that you attend every class and at least grasp what he is trying to explain to you. I would also read the text before you discuss it in class. This is a professor that is really cool with his students but you have to pay attention and not be buddy-buddy with him. Great class for a Gen Ed!
i have had him as a prof for 7 classes and he was extremely helpful in every way. if you show you are interested, he will help. he is also the smartest man i have ever met in my life. i highly recommend him 100%!!
he is funny and smart but he is really hard and if you don't understand he can make you feel really dumb like its your fault and he calls people out on it. he has randomly called on me before and made me feel horrible because i didnt understand. he is alright but dont expect support if you struggle.
He's not helpful at all. His explanations are hardly clear and his answers to questions are incomprehensible. He rambles a lot so it's hard to follow what he's sayin. Avoid him at all costs!
I was so disappointed with this class! Most of the time he didn't seem friendly & approachable. He knows a lot but fails to communicate the knowledge. He didn't teach well and it was boring. Maybe he can find a more interesting way to teach. I wish I took the class from another prof!
Smith is a great guy really funny and as long as you go to the classes and pay attention the material makes sense. There was only two one page papers and two easy tests. The papers are on the books but he goes over everything before you start writing i didnt read anything and ended up with a B+
People who say that they learned nothing from Smith know nothing about Philosophy. Philosophy is about learning HOW to think. Not WHAT to think. If you want to learn the in-depth facts about historical philosophers, then look for another professor. If you want to leave this class with a new outlook on life, then take Philosophy 101 with Smith.
I have Dr. Smith for Contemporary Moral Problems. He goes off-topic a LOT during lecture, but it goes by so quickly because he's incredibly funny and witty. No matter how strongly you may believe something is right, he will play the devil's advocate and make you defend it. You learn a lot about your own beliefs and may walk away with a new outlook.
For anyone who says they think his stories are not related you obviosly dont do the reading he asks you to. If you read and come to class things make a little more sense. Dr Smith reads your papers and if he sees you trying he offers help. If you show little effort you get blown off. why waste time or yours?
You will be able to tell how smart he is after a couple classes, it's ridiculous, I feel lucky having had a course with him. He expects you to put forth an effort, if you get lazy in his class he will call you out on it, even in the middle of class. Very funny as well, many good stories. Just do your best, you'll at least pass.
Smith would be a good prof if he'd stop yelling so much. Spends 3/4 of the class telling kids they're morons and hardly lectures, but when he does he clearly knows the subject. Did the readings, aced the two exams and one paper, feel like I learned nothing more than I could have gotten from Wiki in an hour. Skip him for intro if you want to learn.
Got lots out of this class! Dr. Smith made the material make sense (much of this was with his "stories" as students negatively refer to them in comments. Can't they see how they relate to the material?). Lots of students weren't keeping up with the reading and Dr. Smith called them out on it. He cares that students learn, even when they don't care.
Extremely knowledgeable about the ancients; knows alot abpout philosophy. He's written a lot of books, gives talks, and is well recognized.. and never lets you forget it. Chill guy..but..HORRIBLE teacher. Is not helpful, does not give guideline or rubric to papers, and an ARBITRARY grader. Does not tell you what you did wrong, gives vague feedback.
He is a tough grader, in that if he likes you, you get an A. Doesn't tell you what you missed out in a paper, feed back is untopical. First time he told us what he looks for "in a good paper" was for the final.. when half the class already had C's. But the Prof is really smart, knows alot, basically an ancient phil bigshot. Great guy, awful teacher
class was fun at first than it got really hard. tough grader.
Boring and confusing class but it messes with your thinking. He's a brilliant man and is hilarious. His tests are a joke. This class makes you think outside your comfort zone. I haven't really learned anything.
great, great teacher
Grading is fair, but a bit subjective. No tests, only short papers, which is nice. He tells long stories, many of which are not related to the topic, and that the material he covered was not as rigorous or comprehensive as I would have liked. We spent only 4 days on arguments for the existence of God. Much of the class felt like pseudo-philosophy.
loved the class, intelligent professor, know what the philosophers' ideals were & don't look for the right or wrong answer, reviews before exams, 2 exams and a final are only grades, gives you exam 1 and 2 to study for the final
He's a good guy, it's a fun class - just make sure you know what the hell he's talking about.
Dr. Smith is one of my favorite professors. He's an incredibly approachable, caring, freaking hilarious guy. If there's something that you don't quite understand, he's willing to dedicate class to getting it across in a clear manner. He tells you EXACTLY what to expect on the exams, which are a breeze if you pay attention.
Give-n-take. Cool guy, very laid back approach. Some will learn from how casual it is, some will coast by learning the basics, some won't learn anything. He played guitar during our final, if that's any indication. No doubt he definitely knows his stuff, though. Respect him, and he'll respect you - very 'peer-like' in approach. Solid B+.
I learned more about his life and mother than I did Philosophy. He goes off topic way too much and I never was able to understand what he was talking about. Your whole grade rests solely on four tests. He's a funny guy, just not a good professor.
He talked more about his personal life and politics than he did philosophy, which made exams harder because information was not covered well. I never knew what he was talking about when he would talk about philosophy, and had to teach myself from the book and the internet. I would not recommend taking this class.
I would avoid if possible. He doesn't stay on topic long enough for you to understand the concept at hand. He goes off on so many tangents that my notes are just a jumbled mess and so many things get mislabeled. He tries to make jokes so often that they just start to get annoying. That aside i think he is caring professor as long as you show effort
Seems to get off topic a lot but truly is teaching. No attendance grade but if you don't show up you'll struggle with quizzes
Dr. Smith was a really pleasant surprise. He is eccentric, but after you get used to him using the f-bomb like punctuation, you can see just how smart he really is. He's had such an interesting life and his stories make this class so much better, and they relate to the material. Only grades are the quizzes & final, so go to class & read your book!
Took Intro to Philosophy with Dr. Smith and it was probably the easiest class I've taken. He does tend to go off on tangents but in some form or another they make some sense. Wants you to apply the material, if you participate, he's happy/
honestly so so so funny!! dont wanna go to class and just read the textbook go ahead, you will get an A. Wanna go to class and never read? Go ahead you'll get an A, not have to read, and have a great time. Great guy, easy test. Wonderful professor.
Dr. Smith is a really chill and funny prof. The class is only based on 100 points and he basically gives you 40 points for writing assignments you do. If you have problems with cursing avoid him because he does it a lot. He has a lot of interesting life stories too.
This class is an easy A. Great choice if you need 3 credits or 3 points for Humanities. You take 7 micro quizzes throughout the semester with 5 questions each that count as 70% of your grade. Final is 30%, 30 questions & it's identical to the quizzes. Attendance is optional, but you need notes to pass quizzes. He goes on rants but its interesting.
He clearly enjoys the topic but an intro course may not be the best for him. He gets angry with little participation and will go on rants about how we are lazy but otherwise is a very good teacher. He makes the topics easy to understand and attending class helps a lot. Quizzes are only 5 questions so getting anything wrong could hurt grades.
He had some funny jokes but ultimately spent the entire class span freaking us out or yelling at us. He also used dirty philosophy tricks and talked too much about his personal problems. Not a fan.
Cool guy and very funny. Test are very easy if you show up to his classes. They are open note, so take good notes and you will be fine
Dr Smith is one of the best professors ive ever had, his class is inviting and open for debate about whatever philosophical theory hes ranting about. Hes one of the only professors that has made me excited to come to class.
Kurt Smith goes off on tangents regarding politics and the vaccine almost daily and it does not ever stop, he is consistently angry and it is disappointing to see a professor waste so much time on personal opinions.
Overall Smith is good however if you don't show up to class you will not pass. There are only 4 exams all year and they come directly from what is written on the board. Do beware that if you get triggered politically then this class will not sit well with you. The class was sometimes boring but exams were easy and I guess I learned a little bit
I would not recommend this class at all. The tests were difficult and were the only grades in the class. Most of the material was not in the book and you have to piece it together from lectures. The class is very political and if you do not agree with his views he will rant about it. Not a class went by where we did not talk about politics.
Definitely one of my absolute favorite professors. He's super smart, super funny, and you'll learn a lot. All of his classes are very mind opening. Take good notes as those will save you for an exam. The exams are largely open ended questions based on what was covered in class. If you study your notes well, you basically have everything you need.
Dr. Smith is very knowledgeable. He is very lecture heavy. You do not have to go to class, but if you don't have notes on the lectures you won't pass the exams. The only grades in the class came from exams.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.62 avg changeRatings by Course
CRITICAL
5.0
(1)PHILOS101
5.0
(1)SEMINAR
5.0
(1)PHILOFRELIGIO
5.0
(1)PHILDTOK
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
INTRO28
5.0
PLATO
4.0
PHILOFRELIGIO
4.0
INTROTOPHILO
4.0
PHIL0
4.0